Showing posts with label Penalties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penalties. Show all posts

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Better Doing Right Than Wrong!

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites. Colossians 3:23-25 NLT
I remember hearing the phrase, "Willing Workers" many years ago since it was an auxiliary at the church we attended. Until this morning, it didn't dawn on me that the name was taken from this passage of scripture. The implication is that if we're going to do anything, we should be willing to do it and not do things out of a false sense of obligation or commitment.

Passion is driven by those who are willing to do what they do and the drive is intrinsic not extrinsic. If we pay attention to those people who are legitimately successful and do a world of good--it is because they are driven by innate passion to do what they do--not because others have pushed them into doing right.

With everything we undertake to do--whether in a church or on a job or in the community as a volunteer, we should be willing to do--whatever it is--and do it as unto The Lord, not people. For we can never please people who are fickle-minded and never know what they really want from others.  
Unfortunately, we live in a society that caters to the fickle-minded and we know this because of all the rapidly changing trends in just about everything, designed to cater to the whims of those who love change more than anything else.

But there is a reason why we should be mindful as to who matters in whatever it is we do. People may reward our efforts with a temporary reward, but the reward we earn from Christ is for all eternity. Jesus is watching everything we do. He knows when others have wronged us and He knows when we have not been as passionate about what we do as we could have been.

What motivates us to do what is right? I would pray that doing right for the sake of doing right would be enough for most, but I know that doesn't happen. Many of us do what we need to do and no more--seeking payment for the minimalism employed by us. However, I also know there are a number of people who go beyond what is asked and do whatever they can in order to do right and get things done.

If no one ever notices or acknowledges the things we do, we should not be concerned. Jesus is watching and nothing a mere human being could ever give us would compare to the reward awaiting us. We are indeed better off doing right than doing wrong because wrong also has its rewards and no matter what our status in life is--when we do wrong, we get compensated for the wrong-doing; a penalty that many cannot endure.

In order not to worry about being penalized for doing wrong, let's do what is right in God's sight and see how He rewards us on this side of heaven and beyond.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Penalty For Lying!

"A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies will not escape." (Proverbs 9:5 NKJV)

I'm praying for any and everyone who lives to lie and cause harm to others--simply to gain monetary benefit or center stage with all lights on them.

The problem for liars is that God has already addressed their final outcome--they will thrown into the lake of fire--no escape route possible. There--with hell and Satan and all the other demonic forces-they shall be for all eternity.

I remember some years ago when I was teaching Bible Study at my home and a little boy asked me about hell. I asked him if he had ever burned himself on something hot and he had. So, I told him to imagine that hell--is 1000 x 1000 x 1000 x 1000 x 1000 x hotter than anything he had experienced. His eyes bucked and he made a decision right then--he did not want to go to hell.

Many people don't believe hell is real because they don't believe God is real and they certainly won't pay any attention to anything in the Bible. That is so sad. If they understood the love God has for us and He does not desire to see anyone He loves thrown in the lake of fire, they would do better. That's His desire--but we all make choices--to do what is right or to do what is wrong.

Remember this--Satan is the father of liars and his job is to kill, steal, and destroy--he has no problem influencing others to do his bidding so he can sit back at laugh at their folly.

Liars--all of them whether pathological or convenient or systematic--always create problems for the innocent. They gather to themselves false witnesses and those who proclaim to know a matter when they don't, are also destined to be thrown in the lake of fire because they too--are lying.

If we only spent our time doing what is right, we'd never have to worry about doing what is wrong--for us or anyone else.

"The Truth shall make us free" from the penalty of being in the lake of fire, so let's determine to always tell the truth, no matter how much it may hurt us, or cause us to lose that temporary monetary gain or fame. Integrity is still a valued virtue and I'd rather maintain my integrity in all things that lose it for money or fame. I belong to Jesus and I will proclaim truth as He reveals it and I will not become part of gangland mentality in destroying the lives of others. Satan is not my father and I will not give him that place of honor--by lying.

Everything we do has a consequence--we will either be rewarded or penalized--what is your choice today?